Rand Paul

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News about Rand Paul, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Mar. 30, 2015

Likely Republican presidential candidates Sens Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, as well as likely Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, all believe income gap is problem; they all diverge from public opinion, however, on how to fix it, and are vague on action; four likely contenders are in step with country's most affluent voters on addressing inequality. MORE

Mar. 17, 2015

Sen Rand Paul's unorthodox campaign for 2016 Republican presidential nomination is based on hope that his brand of libertarian conservatism will appeal to audiences more inclined to vote Democratic; Paul faces challenge of actually attracting votes, and his campaign will be test of whether his attempt to rebrand Republican Party can happen in a year or whether it will take more time, if it can happen at all. MORE

Mar. 11, 2015

Editorial supports bill introduced by Sens Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand and Rand Paul that will make number of necessary changes to federal marijuana policies, including reclassifying marijuana as Schedule II drug so it can be used for medical purposes in states where it is legal; suggests that, given medical consensus and polls showing majority approval, medical marijuana should be legalized. MORE

Mar. 8, 2015

Kentucky Sen Rand Paul persuades state's Republican leaders to hold caucus rather than presidential primary in May, move that allows Paul to skirt state law banning candidate from appearing twice on same ballot; change allows Paul to run for re-election and to pursue Republican presidential nomination. MORE

Feb. 18, 2015

Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky plans to announce his 2016 presidential bid on April 7, move that will place him ahead of other Republican contenders and allow him to begin fundraising. MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

Sen Rand Paul is adopting different strategy than his father, former Rep Ron Paul, as he prepares for his likely 2016 bid to be Republican nominee for president; Paul is trying to bridge gap between fervent supporters of his father's previous campaigns and with more mainstream elements of the Republican Party. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Nicholas Kristof Op-Ed column criticizes American politicians like Sen Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, in wake of measles outbreak, for irresponsibly suggesting that vaccinations may be dangerous; notes that such health illiteracy is bipartisan; underscores effectiveness of vaccination, and suggests that it is every healthy citizen's responsibility to be vaccinated. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Kentucky Sen Rand Paul clarifies earlier comments on childhood vaccination by saying vaccines are not harmful; he was member of Assn of American Physicians and Surgeons, which lobbied for state laws permitting parents to not vaccinate their children based on their beliefs. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Republican Party, which has been majority for only one week, is increasingly more divisive as some members focus on running for president in 2016 and others try to achieve record of accomplishment in Washington; party leaders hold retreat while Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky, Sen Marco Rubio of Florida and Sen Ted Cruz of Texas begin their presumptive campaigns. MORE

Nov. 24, 2014

Sen Rand Paul, likely 2016 Republican presidential candidate, calls for declaration of war against the Islamic State, position that is not widely popular within his own party; Pres Obama is planning to ask Congress for official authority to use force against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. MORE

Nov. 16, 2014

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column argues that despite favorable media coverage of Sen Rand Paul, he is not a promising presidential candidate; suggests that news media has declared Paul frontrunner in Republican field due to fact that he has been so obvious and unabashed about his interest in the presidency. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

Ross Douthat Op-Ed column observes that Republican Party has won for second time in four years a sweeping midterm victory without having a policy agenda to match; expresses hope that if 2016 primary presidential contest coalesces around Sens Marco Rubio and Ran Paul, Republican Party could engage in a transformative debate. MORE

Sep. 27, 2014

Texas Sen Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen Rand Paul, both of whom are considering run for White House in 2016, invoke importance of religion and morality before crowd of conservative voters at Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC. MORE

Sep. 10, 2014

Sens Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, along with other Republican hopefuls in 2016 presidential election, face glaring lack of foreign policy experience; some party leaders fear that resume gap could hurt their chances if world's unstable regions continue to dominate headlines until elections; candidates are trying to build their portfolios through speeches and by hiring staff members versed in world affairs. MORE

Aug. 8, 2014

Potential contenders for 2016 Republican presidential nomination are extending overtures and making travel plans to Mexico and South America in effort to curry favor with Latino voters alienated by Congressional Republicans; among those making goodwill efforts are New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, Kentucky Sen Rand Paul and Wisconsin Gov Scott Walker. MORE

Jul. 26, 2014

Sen Rand Paul, in effort to woo black voters in 2016 presidential election, appears at speech to the National Urban League Conference in Cincinnati to see row after row of empty chairs; speech is Rand's latest before a mostly black crowd, demonstrating how he has become only major Republican who seems eager to keep going back to African-Americans to appeal for support. MORE

Jun. 28, 2014

Gail Collins Op-Ed column submits that push by Sen Rand Paul to grant personhood to fertilized eggs, and court decision involving Hobby Lobby's right to eliminate certain types of contraceptives from employee health care coverage, both mark a turning point in long, grueling national battle over reproductive rights MORE

May. 24, 2014

Republican Sen Rand Paul faces difficulty in straddling treacherous fault line splitting hawks of the GOP from others who favor less aggressive foreign policy, as he tests waters for presidential run in 2016; his wariness of centralized authority and skepticism of military intervention have alarmed powerful Republicans who seek to portray him as dangerously misguided. MORE

May. 10, 2014

Kentucky Sen Rand Paul, breaking with fellow Republicans who have pushed for stricter voting laws, says focus alienates and insults African-Americans and hurts the party; he becomes most prominent member of his party to distance himself from campaigns for voting restrictions, many of which are being pursued in states that can determine presidential elections. MORE

May. 5, 2014

Kentucky Sen Rand Paul attends Kentucky Derby with guest Rupert Murdoch, media titan who is arguably most powerful broker in Republican politics; meeting marks what could be major turn in Paul's bid for presidency in 2016, as establishment conservatives indicate their interest in a libertarian candidate who made his name by upsetting the establishment. MORE

Apr. 25, 2014

Kentucky Republican Sen Rand Paul, rising in prominence as GOP presidential contender, is avidly courting small but influential cluster of wealthy libertarians; tight-knit group of philanthropists and entrepreneurs have historically spent more on nonprofit groups and endowing college economics departments than they have on backing candidates. MORE

Apr. 25, 2014

Coalition of supporters for Cliven Bundy, Nevada rancher battling federal government's attempt to remove his cattle from public land, begins crumbling over his suggestion that African-Americans might have been better off in slavery; Sen Rand Paul joins line of Republican and Democratic leaders in denouncing him. MORE

Apr. 18, 2014

Timothy Egan Op-Ed column examines why Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who owes the fededral government about $1 million in fines and fees after grazing his cattle on National Park Service land for more than 20 years, has supporters on the far-right; contends Bundy is misusing a public resource, and criticizes his supporters, like Sen Rand Paul, for using the issue as a political tool. MORE

Apr. 13, 2014

Several hundred Republicans gather in New Hampshire at Freedom Summit, put together by Americans for Prosperity and Citizens United; what unfolds is display of today’s Republican Party in all its dynamism, division and sometimes strange spectacle; possible presidential contenders Mike Huckabee and Sens Ted Cruz and Rand Paul pitch their views. MORE

Mar. 23, 2014

Sen Rand Paul has been keeping a frenetic schedule more befitting a presidential candidate than a first-term senator; some Republicans have noted that Paul does not have a political or fund-raising infrastructure to match his emerging national profile. MORE

Mar. 20, 2014

Sen Rand Paul injects race into debate over domestic spying, suggesting that Pres Obama should be particularly wary given the government's history of eavesdropping on civil rights leaders; speech, at the University of California, Berkeley, is part of Paul's effort to bring his brand of libertarian conservatism to audiences in less friendly territory ahead of 2016 presidential election. MORE

Mar. 13, 2014

Supporters of Kentucky Sen Rand Paul are backing a bill in the state's Legislature that would allow him to appear more than once on the ballot, preparing for possibility that he may run for president in 2016 while seeking re-election to the Senate. MORE

Mar. 9, 2014

Feb. 13, 2014

Sen Rand Paul files lawsuit against Pres Obama and the leaders of several intelligence agencies challenging as unconstitutional the National Security Agency’s program that is collecting bulk records about Americans’ phone calls. MORE

Feb. 2, 2014

Maureen Dowd Op-Ed column examines Sen Rand Paul's critical remarks about former Pres Bill Clinton and his sexual scandals, which was intended to affect perceptions about Hillary Rodham Clinton's possible candidacy for the presidency; contends Paul's remarks were effective in that they distracted from Republicans' abysmal war on women by pointing at an abysmal moment in feminist history. MORE

Jan. 26, 2014

Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky has been trying to broaden his appeal as he test-markets a presidential candidacy, and in doing so he is also trying to take libertarianism into the mainstream of American politics; Paul has impressed Republican leaders with his staying power, despite the fact that interviews, documents and a review of his speeches and articles reveal that he is steeped in a narrow, rightward strain of libertarianism, which has long been on the fringes of American politics. MORE

Nov. 13, 2013

Senator Rand Paul speaks at Citadel military college in Charleston, SC, sharing his opinions on military intervention, Pentagon and cutting wasteful spending within armed forces. MORE

Nov. 6, 2013

Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky addresses claims of plagiarism with mix of contrition and defiance, acknowledging that 'mistakes' in his office led to unattributed writing by others to appear in his own work but adding that he is being held to an unfair standard. MORE

Nov. 5, 2013

Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has had to explain how Wikipedia entries came to be incorporated into his speeches with no attribution, faces charges of direct plagiarism; op-ed article Paul wrote for The Washington Times on mandatory minimum prison sentences appears to have copied language from an essay in magazine The Week. MORE

Nov. 2, 2013

Rivalry between Tea Party stars Sens Ted Cruz and Rand Paul has been quietly building as they pursue distinctly different paths, diverging not just in style but in approach to intraparty politics; Cruz, who appeals to Christian conservatives, is seen as more extreme while Paul is considered more moderate; divergent strategies could help determine whether Tea Party remains outside Republican establishment or is eventually integrated. MORE

Oct. 31, 2013

Sen Rand Paul, Kentucky Tea Party Republican, appears to have lifted words for a speech about eugenics from a Wikipedia entry about futuristic movie Gattaca, which imagines a population that has been genetically engineered. MORE

Oct. 10, 2013

Several Republicans, including Sens Marco Rubio and Rand Paul and New Jersey Gov Chris Christie, are using the government shutdown to stake position for potential presidential bids in 2016. MORE

Aug. 8, 2013

Gail Collins Op-Ed column reflects on the fact that New Jersey Gov Chris Christie and Sen Rand Paul are seen as frontrunners for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, race which is still in its infancy; notes that Christie, who has been widely praised for his brash political style in his home state, seems to have come to understanding that abrasiveness would be less welcome across the nation. MORE

Aug. 1, 2013

Gail Collins Op-Ed column singles out Rand Paul, Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz as being the show horses of the United States Senate; notes all three are currently in the news for their efforts to get Republicans to promise not to vote to fund federal government unless Obama cancels health care reform law, and that all three are preparing for a 2016 presidential bid. MORE

Jun. 16, 2013

Kentucky Sens Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul have formed odd-couple, scratch-my-back alliance largely out of expediency, after a rocky beginning to their relationship; McConnell, fearing a primary challenge from the right, has embraced Paul and others in Tea Party wing of Republican Party. MORE

Mar. 26, 2013

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column marvels at Sen Rand Paul's ascent in Republican Party, given degree to which his views stray from mainstream politics. MORE

Mar. 21, 2013

Sens Rand Paul and Marco Rubio, rising stars in Republican Party, are flying in each other's airspace, not quite rivals but obvious competitors; both are likely to vie for their party's nomination in 2016 presidential race. MORE

Mar. 20, 2013

Republican opposition to legalizing status of illegal immigrants is crumbling in Congress as leading lawmakers in party scramble to halt eroding support among Hispanic voters--a shift that is providing strong momentum for an overhaul of immigration laws; Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Tea Party Republican, becomes latest to embrace more welcoming approach. MORE

Mar. 15, 2013

New generation of Republican leaders like Sen Rand Paul are questioning the aggressive use of American power abroad as a policy imperative and a political advantage; split in party is evident at Conservative Political Action Conference; some Republican leaders fear move toward isolationist foreign policy, but others are building coalitions of young voters who dislike the foreign wars and cost of fighting them. MORE

Mar. 15, 2013

Conservative Political Action Conference begins with Republican Sens Rand Paul and Marco Rubio offering GOP starkly different paths back to prominence, and diagnoses of what ails it; assembly is showcase of GOP's top presidential prospects. MORE

Mar. 10, 2013

Ross Douthat Op-Ed column expresses admiration for way in which Sen Rand Paul seems to be coaxing Republican Party to move past Bush-era foreign policy; contends that Paul recognizes that best way to infuse new ideas into party is by selling them both to the base and to moderates. MORE

Mar. 9, 2013

Sen Rand Paul's 12-hour filibuster on the United States' use of drones garners widespread attention, tapping into deep cultural anxiety about government, the military and the surveillance state; imagery has alarmed a diverse swath of political interests, including Republican and Democratic lawmakers, conservative research groups, liberal activists and right-wing conspiracy theorists. MORE

Mar. 8, 2013

Republican Senator Rand Paul’s filibuster highlighting his misgivings about how drones are used wins praise from the Tea Party movement and civil-liberties-minded liberals, but fellow Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham accuse him of scaremongering; analysts say he has enmeshed GOP in broader debate over national security that scrambles politics of left and right. MORE

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March 24, 2015, Tuesday

Senator Rand Paul appears to be trying to turn one of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s greatest strengths into a weakness, implicating her in a “war on women” because of gifts she has received from foreign countries.